MAD MAC Overview
Mission Statement
The mission of MAD MAC “Making a Difference, Making a Change” is to provide innovative, cost-effective, accessible approaches to assist with the problems at risk youth and adults face in society. Which include but are not limited to gangs, crime, drug and alcohol addiction as well as self-esteem; factors that impact and diminish educational and vocational outcomes. The goal is to correct negative attitudes motivating individuals to make better life choices.
History
MAD MAC, a registered 501c3, was founded in April 1996 by Kevin Kim with the vision to keep at risk youths away from the negative influences facing youth today.
Educated in the “school of hard knocks” as a kid growing up on the streets of La Puente, California, he knows first-hand the many struggles associated with limited opportunity and having to deal with seemingly insurmountable odds. Though growing up in an environment plagued with abuse and neglect, alcohol, drugs, gangs, violence, and unspeakable loss, Kevin’s rise to prominence in the entertainment industry and later as an inspirational example of the triumph of the human spirit serve positively to touch the lives of those around him. Children of all ages, adults with difficult pasts, and others have drawn strength from his remarkable story.
Spreading a message of hope and redemption, combined with an emphasis on the fundamental power of each person to change his or her life, Kevin has personally successfully reached out to more than 100,000 youth and young adults since 1998, most particularly those who are considered to be “at-risk.” Embodying a philosophy that entails “Making A Difference, Making A Change,” Kevin has often spoken about the struggles he has faced in his life but more importantly, describes how youth and young adults may take their passions and turn them into constructive pursuits.
Kevin’s systemic approach to optimizing impact has entailed efforts to tackle homeless in Los Angeles, California, by leveraging the power of non-profit organizations to purchase low-valued properties at a fraction of the price, to teach at-risk youth and young adults the skills necessary to rehabilitate such housing to increase its value and to enable them to acquire job-marketable skills and then to witness the impact of their efforts by ensuring that such housing is then acquired by low-income families like theirs who otherwise would not be able to afford to buy their piece of the American Dream. This sustainable win-win approach to community development has won him praise from local officials and community activists alike.
Not merely stopping there, Kevin has touched the lives of countless youth throughout the Los Angeles County area by facilitating impact on what is generally considered to be the “hard-to-serve” population. Rather than viewing them this way, he sees each person as having the potential to do some good in the world. Instead of using a clinical approach, he reaches kids in a unique way by telling them stories to which they may readily relate, using their own terminology while “keeping it real.” That ability to reach his targeted audience has enabled him to be most effective where others have failed. Kevin enjoys a solid reputation among the education community as someone who “gets right down to business” to achieve measurable results but whose positive effects are beyond measure with each life turned in a better direction.
One of Kevin’s latest efforts to help transform lives for the better is to promote safety through encouraging youth and young adults not to race cars along public streets, a dangerous pastime that can only ultimately result in tragedy under the worst of circumstances. By partnering with local automotive businesses, youth transition programs, non-profit organizations, and others, Kevin successfully put into place a turnkey system that provides youth and young adults with apprenticeship opportunities, work experience, and the chance to continue their passion for racing in a safer but nevertheless exciting environment.
